Hasta La Gadget!

Since the Epic 4G launched on Sprint August 31, we’ve been receiving notes from owners on various issues they’ve experienced with the phone. We’ve heard about and experienced problems with the supposedly-fixed GPS, to surprisingly slow 3G uploads (fix on the way), to odd issues with battery drain and glitchy market install problems. Now that we’re facing the end of Sprint’s 30-day return period, we’re wondering if Sprint and Samsung have shown enough of a commitment to resolving any problems to keep owners and potential buyers hanging on. Check after the break for a few of the issues we’ve found and what can be done about them, and let us know in our poll how optimistic you are about the future of this otherwise well-received device.

Continue reading Epic 4G: problems so far — and a few solutions

Epic 4G: problems so far — and a few solutions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You hoped, you opined, you might have even prayed — and as it turns out, you win. As many of you have suspected, the latest firmware update to Sprint / HTC’s EVO 4G does, in fact, let us break past the former 30 frames per second barrier. You know, the one HTC said couldn’t be crossed with software updates alone. At least, it did for our handheld, as you can see above. Good news for everyone bothered by this (now seemingly) artificial limit — now back to your regularly-scheduled WiMAX enjoyment.

Confirmed: EVO 4G update removes framerate cap originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want an early glimpse of ESPN for Xbox Live? How about an upgraded Netflix, Zune music, or some shiny new visuals? Just like last year, Microsoft’s resident Xbox 360 spokesman Major Nelson has made the call for sign-ups in the Update Preview Progam, which as the name suggests will get you on the list for potentially some early playtime with the upcoming Dashboard update. Just follow the instructions to get in the virtual queue, and sorry, this isn’t gonna get you any closer to Kinect. Productivity notwithstanding, what do you have to lose?

Xbox Live Update Preview Program sign-up sheet now accepting gamertags originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sammy just hit us up with a brief statement that should make Captivate owners jump clean out of their seats and do a spit take if they’re enjoying a cup of joe:

“An update to improve the Samsung Captivate’s GPS performance is now available. Captivate customers will receive a notification on their device that an update is available and will simply need to download the file to update their phone. The updates will be pushed to customers’ devices over the next few weeks.

The update for the Captivate will also improve additional device functions, such as media scanning time, add the full version of Quickoffice and address Microsoft Exchange 2003 policy support.”

Awesome, right? Of course, the proof is in the pudding — we’ll need to wait and see how “fixed” the GPS really is after this gets installed, but it’s a start. Notably, this doesn’t seem to include Froyo, so we don’t know whether these guys are going to be going the British or Spanish routes in getting that deployed.

Update: We’ve independently confirmed with AT&T that this update does include GPS improvements.

Samsung Captivate gets GPS fix, other Galaxy S versions wait patiently originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Good way to start Wednesday, indeed. Right on schedule (and not a minute too soon), the over-the-air Android 2.2 (aka Froyo) update for Motorola Droid X has started propagating the radio waves. We’ve received dozens of tips already, from those who both checked manually and received notification in the status bar. In addition to a new Android, there’s also improves visual voicemail with Bluetooth support, a refreshed mobile hotspot app, and a fix to prevent data connections from dropping as you move between WiFi and 3G coverage. Go on, check your phone now — and don’t forget to pick up the new Gmail when you’re done updating.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Motorola Droid X now getting OTA Android 2.2 update originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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